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I believe books make the best gifts and I'm not the only one who thinks so....

If you want a personalized copy of one of my books for yourself or to give as a gift, the deadline to order them is Tuesday, Dec. 15. All you have to do is drop me an email at minakhan [AT]wcc[dot]net and we can work the details out!

I love reading books that reflect the diversity of the world because that's the world I know. Visit your grocery store, library or big box store and look around. You'll see people of all shapes, color, sizes. We are a world made up of individuals. A story world becomes more real to me when it reflects that diversity. So here I'm participating in The Color of Love Blog Hop. Check out the delicious graphic:

I love everything about fall -- the chill in the air, the changing colors of leaves, fuzzy socks and delicious cups of hot chocolate. So when Sexy Scribblers mentioned they were having a blog hop, I hopped in faster than you can say "Bunny Wabbit!"

My favorite thing about fall though has to be Pecan Pie. Growing up in Bangladesh, I'd never even heard of pecans or pecan pie. It was during my first semester in college and the U.S., I was missing home, when the cafeteria lady nudged a pecan pie in my direction with the words: "Pie fixes everything!"

The first bite and I zeroed in on the rich, sticky goodness on my plate. While I still missed home, that piece of pie did cheer me up and set me on a course of culinary discovery.

Pecan pie again came up when I met my husband-to-be's family. His mother made pie following the recipe she'd received from her mother-in-law. I thought (and still think) it was the best pecan pie ever.

I semi-joke that I said yes to my Darling Hubby's proposal because of the pie...and yes, I did get the recipe after saying, "I do."

Up for grabs, the sexy scribblers are giving away 12 ebooks (various genres). To enter check out the rafflecopter at the end of the post.

My personal giveaway:

To enter just tell me: How You Fell Into Romance? What's your meet cute? (and leave me your email address or twitter handle so I can contact you if you win)

I love knowing how stories come about because every author thinks differently and the lightning strike of inspiration can happen anytime and anywhere. I was in book lust as soon as I saw the cover of L. Penelope's new release...

Not only is it a beautiful cover in the visual sense, but the title Whispers of Shadow & Flame (Earthsinger Chronicles Book 2)
is super intriguing. If that wasn't enough, the tag line definitely sinks the hook deeper. Also, I'm always looking for diverse books to read and not too many fantasy titles have a black man on the cover...so bonus!

Once I checked out the blurb, there was no turning back:

Genre: Fantasy Romance, Dieselpunk

Age Range: Adult

Born with a deadly magic she cannot control, Kyara is forced to become an assassin. Known as the Poison Flame, she is notorious and lethal, but secretly seeks freedom from both her untamed power and the blood spell that commands her. She is tasked with capturing the notorious rebel called the Shadowfox, but everything changes when she learns her target’s true identity.

Darvyn ol-Tahlyro may be the most powerful Earthsinger in generations, but guilt over those he couldn’t save tortures him daily. He isn’t sure he can trust the mysterious young woman who claims to need his help, but when he discovers Kyara can unlock the secrets of his past, he can’t stay away.

As forbidden desire ignites their hearts, Kyara and Darvyn grapple with betrayal, old promises, and older prophecies—all while trying to stop a war. And when a new threat emerges, the cost of their love might just be too high.

What happens next? That was the question I asked myself as soon as the edits were done on my first novel, Song of Blood & Stone. With a publication date set for the first book, I knew I had to get started on the next in the series. I had notes and rough outlines for the four books in the Earthsinger Chronicles, but that wasn’t the same thing as really knowing what was about to go down.

Before I could write it, I had to feel it. And to feel it, I had to walk down the road of heartbreak that my characters inevitably take – at least in my mind.

My inspiration comes from emotion – many times I’ll read or watch or listen to something that’s got me all in the feelings, and then I’ll try to figure out how to elicit those emotions in others.

For Whispers of Shadow and Flame, I was really interested in exploring what it would feel like to fall for the worst person imaginable? Like, someone who was trying to kill you, or someone you were supposed to kill or harm. Also, what would it feel like to have no control over what you did? What would you be willing to do to exert some autonomy over your life?

I was a teenager at one point, so I’m very well acquainted with that feeling of being strapped in by all the boundaries and wanting to break free. But adulthood isn’t the paradise we imagined as kids. There are still plenty of forces pulling us in different directions, as well as choices being made for us, and responsibilities we can’t shirk..

Writing, just as much as reading, has always been an escape for me. A way to work out frustrations and make the world make sense. Whether I’m reading about other peoples’ characters, or creating my own, I’m looking for that sense of freedom that comes from taking on another’s burdens, at least for a little while.

About the Author

Leslye Penelope believes love is magic and likes her romance with a healthy dose of imagination. She's been writing since she could hold a pen and is the author of new adult, fantasy, and paranormal romance with multicultural characters.

At one time or another she's been a filmmaker, tape dubber, tech support specialist, model, poll worker, professor, and DJ. She has a quote from The Matrix tattooed on her arm and sometimes dreams in HTML. After living on both coasts, she settled in Maryland with her husband and their furry dependents: an eighty-pound lap dog and an aspiring feral cat.

I love Halloween! It's the most fun U.S. holiday ever and I embraced every bit of it -- from the chill in the air to the messy art of carving pumpkins. As a writer, I imagine myself as different characters I write about and this is one time of the year I can step outside of my writing room, actually dress up and "be" that character in public. What fun!

Also, nothing beats the deliciousness of reading a spooky story or watching a scary movie. Love, love, love the thrills and chills that make goosebumps dance over my skin. Hey, I'm the girl who spent her wedding night in a haunted house...so there.

So yes, I'm ready for Halloween! I have already gone on a ghost tour at the historic Fort Concho under a full moon, with local paranormal investigators and volunteer re-enactors. Yes, it was a school night, but I figured the kids would enjoy it and it'd be educational. We all got to play with ghost hunting equipment. Hee, so much fun!

Here's a video for you:

Another treat for you:

If you're looking for a Halloween read? You can still pick up DARK SECRETS: A Paranormal Noir Anthology for 99 cents (price will be increasing to $2.99 on Nov. 1). However, if you're a KOBO reader, you can get even more of a price break -- they're running a fabulous sale (50% OFF) on a whole bunch books, including DARK SECRETS! Here are the details and promo codes:

Happy day today because we just found out that RT Book Reviews gave DARK SECRETS: A Paranormal Noir Anthology 4 stars and a lovely write up. Here check it out:

To put this in perspective, they give their Top Picks 4.5 stars (sigh, yes missing that .5 star). Also an RT review in the romance world is akin to a NYT review in the literary world...so time for giddiness and happy dancing! :D

The snippet I'm sharing is from my story, The Djinn In the Mirror, in the anthology:

She clapped her hands and wished for Ashmael.His distinctive spicy sandalwood scent
alerted her to his presence, followed by a soft rustle. She twirled about and
threw herself onto the djinn’s broad chest.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”“But—Dahlia grabbed his face and pulled it down to
her, then proceeded to give him a big, wet sloppy kiss on his sexy mouth. When
they parted, the djinn for once looked utterly confused and shocked. She
grinned. “See I keep my bargains.”He wiped his mouth with the back of one hand,
all the while keeping his gaze fixed on hers. “You call that a kiss?”Temper stirred inside her, along with a flush
of embarrassment. “You don’t?”A lazy smile spread his lips as he grasped
her chin and tilted her face up. “Let me show you.”

Want to read more, plus FIVE other awesome stories? Right now we're having a 99 cent sale and you can grab a copy at:

Now that DARK SECRETS: A Paranormal Noir Anthology is out in the world, I can happily get lost in my TBR pile and indulge in some wonderful reading. Just in time too, because Oct. 1 is the release day for Beneath A Waning MoonI'm dying to read this because I really enjoy the writing of both the authors, Elizabeth Hunter and Grace Draven, and the blurbs sound just the right mix of chills and sweetness:

In A VERY PROPER MONSTER, Josephine Shaw spends long nights filling the pages of her Gothic stories with the fantastic and the macabre, unaware that the suitor her father has arranged is one of the dark creatures she’s always dreamed. For Tom Dargin, courting an ailing spinster was only one duty in a long life of service to his sire. But after he meets the curious Miss Shaw, will Tom become the seducer or the seduced? Can a love fated to end in tragedy survive a looming grave?

In GASLIGHT HADES, Nathaniel Gordon walks two worlds—that of the living and the dead. Barely human, he's earned the reputation of a Bonekeeper, the scourge of grave robbers. He believes his old life over, until one dreary burial he meets the woman he once loved and almost married. Lenore Kenward stands at her father’s grave, begging the protection of the mysterious guardian, not knowing he is her lost love. Resolved to keep his distance, Nathaniel is forced to abandon his plan and accompany Lenore on a journey into the mouth of Hell where sea meets sky, and the abominations that exist beyond its barrier wait to destroy them.

And The Bollywood Bride released on the 29th also and is so on my TBR list. My Sari Sister Sonali Dev writes a wonderful mix of romance and women's fiction, East and West, the role of the individual along with an extensive family unit. I know this will make me laugh, cry and cheer.Ria and Vikram spent childhood summers together, a world away from Ria's exclusive boarding school in Mumbai. Their friendship grew seamlessly into love--until Ria made a shattering decision. As far as Vikram is concerned, Ria sold her soul for Bollywood stardom and it's taken him years to rebuild his life. But beneath his pent-up anger, their bond remains unchanged. And now, among those who know her best, Ria may find the courage to face the secrets she's been guarding for everyone else's benefit--and a chance to stop acting and start living.

A Taste of Heaven just looks delicious. Yummy, right? It's a foodie romance between a 47-year-old widow and a 49-year-old Scottish chef and they meet on a reality cooking contest.Food, older couple, a Scot, and romance...what's not to hook? Yup, I'm so looking forward to reading this!

A Tiger's Bride (A Lion's Pride) (Volume 4) Life often gets serious enough, that I adore books that make me laugh out loud. I enjoy Eve's stories for the humor and sexiness, but her Kitty Kats have definitely got their claws in me. Besides, I just finished reading the previous book in the series, and Dimitri, the Russian tiger, is HOT. Rowwrrr!When at first you don’t succeed—turn to abduction. It’s all in a day’s work when this Siberian tiger meets the woman he wants. An accidental kidnapping? Check. A forced marriage? Check. A virgin bride? Damn. There go his plans for seduction and here comes the pressure into making her first time perfect. Because everyone knows that's the one she'll remember, forever. Gulp. Add in a plane crash as well as hunters out to capture them and the heat is truly on.

Woot! DARK SECRETS: A Paranormal Noir Anthology is out in the world today. Releasing a new book is like birthing a child -- awesome, scary, joyful. Thank you to all my readers, I couldn't write my stories without your love and support.

Six award-winning authors bring you this spellbinding collection of stories about dark desires, mysterious worlds, and danger that lurks in the shadows of the night. Where nothing is black and white; where things might not be as they seem; where magic and mayhem rule.

Oh wow, just 1 more day until DARK SECRETS is out and finally, FINALLY, B&N has approved the title and it's live. I thought I'd have a nervous breakdown because they were taking so long and the clock kept ticking...sigh. Any how,

Eeep! The reviews have started rolling in...and I'm a nervous wreck. You see this anthology is my special baby. Some people like to create fantasy football teams, I like to dream up fantasy author collections. So DARK SECRETS brings together some of my auto-buy authors. I love their words and I hope all of you out there will love them too...I know, that's impossible because reading is so individual...but, it's my baby....Anyhow, here are some reviews I'm thrilled about:

"At $.99 you would be a fool not to grab this one. Whether you love urban fantasy or PNR, you will find something to love in each story." ~ I SMELL SHEEPTo read the rest of the review, visit I SMELL SHEEPThen there's:"Provocative, refreshing, melancholy and reminiscent of Grimm Fairy Tales. I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories. Usually in an anthology I read it for one author. I generally hope that I like that author's story. It's always iffy with anthologies because the more authors, the more chances one of the stories could disappoint and the overall rating drop. After reading this book, I'm still loving the authors who made me want to read this book. In addition, I've found new authors I must explore."But my favorite part of this review is: "Who is this Mina Khan?"To read the rest of this review, visit the Dungeon...

"Poetry is a call to action and it also is action. Sometimes we say, "This tragedy, it happened far away. I don't know what to do. I'm concerned but I'm just dangling in space." A poem can lead you through that, and it is made of action because you're giving your whole life to it in that moment. And then the poem — you give it to everyone."

~ Juan Felipe Herrera, U.S. Poet Laureate

Because I share the same belief in the power of words as Mr. Herrera, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone this evening and sharing my poem "Peace Is A Cat" at the Peace, Poetry and Prose event at out local university.

Usually, I prefer to pour my words out into a food column, an essay or a story and let those words speak for themselves. Readers are an important part of the process. They choose to pick up some words and not others, and in reading they imbue those words with their own perspective and interpretation. And thus a work is translated from one heart to another.

However, sometimes words need to be claimed by the author and spoken aloud. When the world seems to be breaking apart all around you and your heart aches because you feel helpless, "just dangling in space." In those moments, it's important to capture our take on reality into words and then release those written visions to fly free among other hearts.

So today, though my voice will tremble and I'll be shaking, though I'm mostly a very shy person and want to crawl into the shelter of a tent/fort/cave built from printed pages of my words, I will stand in front of an audience and read my poem to them.

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